This invention relates generally to wire or cable severing, as well as stripping sheathing from severed wire sections; and more particularly, it concerns unusual advantages, method and apparatus to effect severing of a wire or cable into two sections, and stripping of sheathing off ends of both sections, with minimal motions of severing and stripping elements and in minimum time.
There is continual need for equipment capable of severing wire or cable into sections, and also capable of rapidly and efficiently stripping sheathing off ends of those sections. It is desirable that these functions be carried out as a wire or cable travels along generally the same axis, i.e., progresses forwardly, and that multiple wire and cable sections of selected length be produced, each having its opposite ends stripped of sheathing, to expose bare metal core wire at each end. Further, it is desirable that simple, radial and axial stripping adjustments be achieved upon multiple wire sections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a major object of the invention to provide apparatus and method meeting the above need. The word "wire" will be used to include cable within its scope, and vice versa.
Basically, the method involves processing the wire into sections as by displacing the wire endwise along an axis to a first position; severing the wire thereby to form wire forward and rearward sections, the forward section having a rearward end portion, and the rearward section having a forward end portion; and stripping sheathing from the forward section rearward portion and from the rearward section forward portion thereby to expose wire cores at those end portions.
In this regard, the cutter means typically may include three blade pairs, each pair including two blades located at opposite sides of the axis, both blades of one pair being displaced toward the wire to sever the wire, and both blades of the remaining two pairs being displaced toward the wire sections t strip sheathing from the rearward and forward portions during controlled endwise displacement of the sections. Both blades of one pair are typically displaced into overlapping relation to sever the wire, and both blades of each of the remaining two pairs are displaced to cut only into opposite sides of the sheathing and to strip sheathing from the end portions of the sections as the sections are displaced endwise simultaneously.
Another object is to displace the two sections endwise, thereby to displace wire incorporating one of the sections to the first position. The method further includes the step of separating the sections axially relatively endwise after the step of severing of the wire and prior to the step of stripping of sheathing from the section end portions. In addition, the method may include the step of further separating the sections axially relatively endwise after the blades of the remaining two pairs have been displaced toward the wire sections to cut into the sheathing, thereby to pull sheathing slugs off the wire end portions to expose the wire end cores.
Yet another object is to guide displacement of the wire endwise along the axis, at locations between blade pairs; and in this regard, both of the forward and rearward sections may be so guided.
A further object is to carry out separation of the forward and rearward wire sections by advancing one section and retracting the other section, relative to the one blade pair; and the method typically involves carrying out further separation of the sections by further advancing the one section and further retracting the other section, relative to each one blade pair.
Apparatus for processing wire into sections, as referred to, and to strip sheathing from the sections to expose wire core ends, basically includes:
a) conveyor means for displacing the wire, including the sections, axially endwise,
b) first cutter means including multiple blades located for movement toward the axis, and a first drive means for controllably displacing the multiple cutter blades toward the axis to sever the wire,
c) second and third cutter means each including multiple blades located for movement toward the axis, and additional drive means for controllably displacing the multiple blades of the second and third cutter means toward the axis to cut into the sheathing, the second and third cutter means respectively located at axially opposite sides of the first cutter means and axially spaced therefrom,
d) and drive means to controllably drive the conveyor means to
i) position the wire to be severed by the first cutter means, thereby to produce forward and rearward wire sections, PA1 ii) relatively displace the sections axially, into positions to enable penetration of the second and third cutter means blades into the sheathing, for subsequent stripping of sheathing from a rearward portion of the forward section and from a forward portion of the rearward section, as during or in association with controlled endwise displacement of the sections by the conveyor means.
Forward and rearward pairs of endless conveyors are typically employed, each pair of conveyors defining a wire gripping zone, such zones maintained in alignment with the wire sections during separation of the latter. Means is further provided to maintain one conveyor of each pair laterally displaced relatively toward the other conveyor of the pair to clamp the wire sections between the conveyors of the pairs during the further separation of the wire sections, and operating the conveyor pairs in endless relation to effect the relative separation in a longitudinal direction
As will also be seen, the blades of the first cutter means typically have positions of relative overlap to sever the wire, in response to operation of the first drive means; and the blades of the second and third cutter means typically have positions of penetration only into the sheathing of the section end portions and to such depths as to enable stripping of the sheathing end portions in response to the controllable driving of the conveyor means.
A further object is to provide a method of processing wire to cut the wire into sections and to remove sheathing from the wire to expose wire ends at opposite ends of the sections, and by operation of wire feed means and cutter means, the steps of the method including operating the feed means and cutter means to:
a) displace the wire endwise along an axis to a first position,
b) sever the wire thereby to form wire forward and rearward sections, the forward section having a rearward end portion, and the rearward section having a forward end portion, and
c) remove sheathing from the forward section rearward portion and from the rearward section forward portion thereby to expose wire ends,
d) the cutter means including three blade pairs, each pair including two blades located at opposite sides of the axis, both blades of one pair being displaced toward the wire to sever the wire, and including the step of controllably displacing both blades of the remaining two pairs toward the wire sections to controlled depths thereby to remove sheathing from the rearward and forward portions in association with controlled endwise displacement of the sections,
e) the sections being controllably endwise displaced to control the lengthwise dimensions of the removed sheathing.
Alternative steps to d) and e) include the use of drive means to controllably drive the conveyor means to relatively displace the sections axially, into positions to enable penetration of the blades of the remaining two pairs into the sheathing, for subsequent displacement of sheathing slugs along a rearward portion of the forward section and along a forward portion of the rearward section, in association with controlled endwise displacement of the sections by the conveyor means, the sections being controllably endwise displaced to control the lengthwise displacement of the slugs along the wire for protecting wire ends.
In the above, the wire end or ends protected by the sheathing slugs, as against fraying, may comprise multiple clustered strands having multiple ends protectively surrounded by the displaced slugs. Also, the method may include displacing only one slug along its wire section to protect the associated metallic cut end of the stranded wire.
In addition, novel and unusually effective apparatus is provided to advance the three sets of blades simultaneously toward the wire to first sever, and subsequently strip or remove wire sheathing, at multiple axial locations, wire sections being axially displaced while severing blades are closed, and prior to closure of sheath stripping blades toward the sections. Pushing or ejecting of severed insulation slugs is also provided for.
Additional objects include the provision of means for supporting the blades in a blade holder in such manner as to permit ease of blade removal and replacement; magnetic means to initially hold the blades in the blade holder prior to their being clamped in position, thereby preventing inadvertent drop-out of the multiple blades as they are being installed; means for releasably locking the blades in installed and clamped condition; the integration of wire guide means with severed slug trap door means and ejector means; the provision for simple, timed actuation of the slug trap door means and injector means; and the provision of wire position sensing means, to sense arrival of the the wire at the blade region, which is very important when extremely small diameter wire is being procured, the position of such wire rearwardly being difficult to ascertain.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which: